Faust

Ah! Thank you, ken! I appreciate it! I'll have to see about picking one of those up cheap somewhere, then!

DO IT! Wait, that was the devil on my shoulder crying that out! Well, him and the part of me that hates to leave models sealed! I guess it depends if you want to build it, or at least revel in the weirdness of the plastic, or want to resell it later. I'd think one still sealed would be valuable, but I never buy kits just to resell them later.

Wow... you got to see one in person, Lee? That's amazing! I never thought of just making it from styrene, Richard! Other than some flat plate stuff, I don't really have the skills for that, so it never crossed my mind. Did anyone ever make a kit of the Vega wagon that WASN'T a dragster?

I'm surprised there are than many people writing about this kit! I didn't think anyone would have one! The Wagon would likely look cool. If it was 1/25, you could bash it with the "Vette Van" from MPC. However, maybe something from one of the K-wagon T/A kits would fit? That'd be wild! I do want to build it, though. I think it would be great to take it to a show and then see people's reactions when they realize it's not a custom. Well, not a custom in the sense that it's an original idea kitbashed by me!

If you believe that too much is never enough, then you can probably understand what GM was thinking when they let California Custom Coach create what is perhaps the most excessive Corvette of all time, the four-door Corvette America! The idea was to create a four-door, four-seater Corvette that would, uh, well, I don’t know what. It would be long, and expensive, and not really compete with any other sporty car since it was slow. Does that work? Because I love the losers, the odd and forgotten, I clearly have a super-big love of this weirdo. I mean, it’s a FOUR-DOOR Corvette!!! How much more forgotten loser does it get than that??? I consider it a miracle that Monogram got suckered into making a kit of this thing, and I consider it an even bigger miracle that I was able to snag one for like, $10 still sealed a couple of years ago. Of course, I could have just sold it, but I really do like the Corvette America, and that means I had to pop it out of the box and revel in all the late ‘70s bad ideas I could handle. Lucky for you guys, I also decided to share it! (That makes you lucky, right?) Check out this completely bonkers Vette at the link below, and remember: it was the ‘70s. If that’s not an excuse, it’s at least an explanation! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/monogram-1-24-1980-corvette-america-oob/

I was really excited to get that Tamiya Sierra, and was really intrigued to see how a Japanese kit’s engine went together. So, it should come as no surprise that I ripped into the kit pretty hard and fast once I got into it. The pressures of work may slow me down some after this, but I was able to make some good headway on the Sierra, and wanted to share it. The engine is nice, and the chassis on this thing is even nicer! It’s like a smaller version of my G8’s chassis (I’ve been under that car enough times to know) in a lot of ways. This was one kit where what you don’t see is sadly likely going to be one of the best parts! Check it out so far, and let me know what you think! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/2020/07/01/sierra-update-1-all-things-go/

I hope Round 2 is listening. I would absolutely love, LOVE, LOVE to see the Superfly reissued. This is one time where I don't want the stock verison. That Superfly has been a grail of mine for some time. I would be thrilled if they'd bring it back, but I'd have to figure out how to do leopard skin interior and vinyl top... can't really be pimp without it...

Can't say you're wrong, Tom... The sad part is, nowadays, if I saw one, I'd think it was aweseome, just because seeing a survivor is neat, and they're so different from what's out there now. They're also so small and frail looking. Why have small cars gotten so big and fat?

Thanks guys! Like most MPCs, it was a pain in the patoot, but seriously... where else can you get that much '70s pretentiousness in one place?

I didn't know Ford UK stuff was so hotly sought after! Of course, here in Canada, we don't get much from in Europe that's unique, but I loved the XR4 body style since I first saw it while shopping for my mom's Grand Marquis in 1985. I think Wikipedia mentioned that one of the Ford guys wanted to put the 5.0 in it, the other wanted the turbo 4. When the Turbo 4 was axed, that was the end of the Merkur. Shame - that with a 5.0 would be a monster. I think there are a handful of South African XR8s, actually... I'm impressed with the packaging too, Tom. To be honest, though, I'm generall not impressed with a lot about Tamiya's car kits. They're very poorly detailed in the interior, and at least this has an engine, but curbsiders with poor "offices" bother me. I love both of those parts of building cars, and the Japanese kits (not just Tamiyas) just don't seem to care about that. I have wanted this for a long time, though, and it was awesome that my brother got me one. He did have to reach out to Japan to do it, mind you... That guy can get anything, it seems! This is on the bench now, so you'll be seeing more of it soon, I guarantee it!

Let’s face it. Most of the cars in the early 1980s were pretty sad. Hey were either little econobeaters or gutless throwbacks to a better time, simply shambling sadly to their graves and awaiting replacement by smaller, less interesting cars. This is what I was surrounded with when I was growing up; the last messy bit of the Automotive Dark Ages. However, there are a few cars from the mid-‘80s that were pretty cool, and some that were actually innovative in terms of both styling and execution. So many cars wanted to pretend to be European, but most just assumed being small and ugly was enough. There was an interesting exception, though, and that was Ford’s Sierra XR4i. In North America, we got it with a Ford Turbo 4, as the Merkur XR4Ti. However, in Europe, it was just an XR4i, but it got a 6 cylinder. This was a two-door, rear drive sports sedan, and it ACTUALLY was European. With aero styling and a double wing at the back, it was pretty futuristic looking, and I’ve always loved them. Trying to find a kit of one, though… that’s another matter altogether! Thanks to my brother, though, I finally managed to get my mitts on one of the rarer Tamiya kits – the XR4i Sierra in it’s non-racing guise! Check it out at the link below – this is one I can’t wait to get to! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/tamiya-1-24-ford-sierra-xr4i-out-of-box/

I have never seen that AMT-top before. That.... that is fabulous! It's like the forerunner of the Suzuki X-90! But, it's so dorky, and ugly, and tasteless... it is PERFECT!!! I now have a new grail kit to add to my list. Too bad the kit is so crappy, but man, what a great idea! (You can imagine me drooling over it...)

Interesting.... that cammo is hard-edged. I saw some cool colour combos on a site (http://lrdg.hegewisch.net/camo.html) that showed some neat colours, but it made the colours look airbrushed on. Now, that could be a shortcoming of paint, and I wondered how the LRDG would have sprayed the vehicles in the field. Does that mean then that all LRDG cammo would be hard edged, or would there have been some soft stuff, too?

Thanks Alan! It's really the best of the Orange Range kits, I think. So much fun little stuff to play with!

There are kits we all want because we think they’re amazing from an engineering standpoint. You know the kind, they’re big, impressive and the box is packed so full of styrene that you can’t even figure out how to get it all back in there. Sometimes, it’s a subject we’ve always wanted, sometimes, it’s just because we can’t resist the lure of something so impressive. There are lots of kits like that. However, I’m sure most of us also have kits that we’ve wanted just because they look fun. Maybe they’re funky, or different, or classic; there can be a million reasons why a specific kit just “calls to you”. For me, one of those kinds of kits is old-school Matchbox LRDG. This Orange Range armour kit always just looked “fun” to me. Lots of “stuff” like Gerry cans, bags, boxes and the like, lots of machine guns, and a cool, almost “Mad Max” survival vibe, really sold me on it. Sure, it’s 40 years old, but so what? Thankfully, through the kindness of a friend (Thanks Alan!) I was able to finally get my hands on one, and it’s an old Matchbox, not Revell reissue! I’m really pumped to build this one, and will be starting it very shortly. Check out this classic take on the famous Long Range Desert Group of WWII fame at the link below. Get ready, because there’s always all kinds of awesome in a Matchbox armour kit! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/matchbox-1-76-lrdg-oob/

Richard: You're not missing anything. I posted this after a long day of work and then a long evening of yardwork! I didn't notice it was in the "Under Glass" section. It's in the wrong spot! Is there anyone out there who can move this to where it belongs? Son of a... Sorry, everybody. My bad, but not intentionally so! Thanks!

It's similar to a Lysander, but not as useful, I don't think. The Lysander always astounds me - it's so big for its intended role, but that gave it so many additional roles! The Storch took over for the -126, and it was a better plane for the spotting duties. It was better aerodynamically, too, but there's something neat about the heavy-set body and parasol wing I find irresistible. It's like what the SBC Helldiver was before they made it a biplane, kinda! I think the -126 would look awesome on floats, actually. There are more kits of the 126 than I would have expected, given it wasn't super-prominent like the Lysander and Storch.

Just knowing what’s going on in a battle can make the difference between victory and defeat, literally life or death. Because of that, finding out what the enemy is up to, and making sure you apply your resources in the best way possible, has always been an important part of warfare. With the maturation of aircraft as viable spotting and recon platforms during the 20th century, the art of battlefield recon rose (sometimes literally) to new heights. However, not every important machine was a high-tech wonder, festooned with cameras and other sensors. Some were more workaday planes; tough, rugged front-line spotters that would fly out over the battlefield and report directly. One of the less-famous of these kinds of planes is the Henschel Hs-126. With long, fixed undercarriage and a surprisingly bulky-looking fuselage hanging under a rarely-seen-in-frontline-planes parasol wing, the -126 was really not a beauty queen. However, it did its job well. I’m quite a fan of odd and lesser-known aircraft, so I was very happy to get my hands on one of the original Matchbox kits of this particular bird! Check out the out of box review below – maybe you’ll want one of your own?! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/matchbox-1-72-hs-126-out-of-box/

Darn, you're right! Sorry about that Steve. Thanks where it's due - thanks man!

Luc! Those decals are awesome! I love that they're asymmetric! I forget that often vans were different on each side! Since I have seen the Mighty Mike decals in blue (in the brochure) I would have loved if they'd have included the Blue Mighty Mikes and that old art as an option. Still, I agree with Anthony, that they design department worked hard on this reissue. Great work! Thanks guys!

Thanks, Joe! Oh, man.... I never thought about the single-wall beds, but that makes sense. Good lord... I thought it was weird they called out a 262 on the box. Still, if that's what they say it is... That's a pretty short run engine, too, I guess. If Wikipedia is to be believed, then it was only around for a couple of years. Someone told me that working on them in Monzas was a pain in the royal patoot. Interesting.... good use for a Vette kit! I'm not a C4 guy, but I do have the "Barbie Vette" Snap-Tite. I'll have to scrounge in the boneyard to see if there's anything I've got kicking around that'll fit. Maybe something from my wrecked SHO? Hmmm...

Sometimes, it’s fun to go a little wild and crazy. Real car owners have been doing it for ages, and model kit companies were generally not too far behind when it came to customizing trends. When something became cool on the street, it was typical for the model companies to start producing kits in the same vein, whether that meant modifying existing kits or just issuing new ones that were already customized or could be. A perfect example of this was the mini-truck customization phase that was big in the mid-‘70s and lasted until the early ‘80s. The vannin’ craze and the show rod world spilled over and merged on the light trucks of the era, resulting in the Street Truck, a customized micro-van more for cruisin’ than bruisin’. Well, now that everything retro is cool, Revell as dug deep into the Monogram side of things and brought one such road warrior back to life. This thing is wild and better than ever, thanks to new decals! Check out the new repop of the Monogram Chevy LUV Street Pickup at the link below. https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/monogram-1-24-chevy-luv-street-pickup-oob/

I bought the ICM 1/35, and yeah... that looks a bit more complicated than I would have thought. It's a typically over-wrought armour kit masquerading as a car. Of course, that's kinda what the G4 is anyway... I wouldn't mind getting my hands on the 1/24, just to compare it to some of my other stuff, like my Civic and Today. That would be such a scream.

Thanks Ray! The nice thing about the Schwalg is that it's simple enough to just hand paint it and not have to worry about a tonne of masking or anything!

If there’s one thing I have a lot of, it’s robots. I grew up in the ‘80s, when Transformers, Voltron and Robotech were the big things. I glommed onto those and never let go. As I got older, and discovered Gundam and the other great mech animes, I was astounded at the number of awesome robots that were available as model kits! Since then, I’ve amassed quite a number of mech kits, and I generally love them all about the same. However, when Flame Toys brought out their “Furai” model kit line, which are models of some of their third-party Transformer designs, there was one that blew me away. That one was the Autobot Drift, a design that melded the best of Transformers with the best of more “traditional” Mobile Suit design. I wanted one, but couldn’t find a lot online about how the kit was as a model. Regardless, I was ecstatic to be able to get one, and now we can all see how this new type of mech kit measures up to his competition. Check him out at the link below! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/flame-toys-furai-model-drift-out-of-box/